The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to end global hunger. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their shattered lives. Present in nearly 80 countries, the organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to nutritious food and contribute to the lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas.

Overview of the role

WFP’s Operations Services department currently consists of four functional divisions – Emergency Preparedness and Response, Nutrition, Policy and Programme, and Supply Chain. See http://www1.wfp.org/governance-and-leadership for more information. The department is responsible for framing WFP’s strategic direction on key issues, policies and programmes relating to food security and nutrition.

Under the guidance of the Executive Director, the principal function of the Assistant Executive Director is to bring together and oversee essential elements of global operations including smart food security programs, effective organizational tools to support emergency response, efficient supply chains including effective provision of mandated common services, coordinated emergency response and expertise in the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The functions of the Assistant Executive Director include the following duties:

Integrate the work of different departments and offices to ensure a corporate approach to operational and programmatic design, implementation, guidance and support;

Oversee the four divisions currently within the department, namely Emergency Preparedness and Response, Nutrition, Policy and Programme and Supply Chain;

In close consultation with the Leadership Group, lead the organization’s strategic planning process;

Support the formulation, integration and implementation of relevant policies, strategies and plans relating to Programmes, Emergency Preparedness, Nutrition and Supply Chain, and support the enhancement of WFP’s work in the field of nutrition both at a policy and implementation level;

Lead the development of policy, innovative corporate initiatives, programmes and tools to support the operations at the regional and country office levels;

Establish and maintain strategic operational partnerships with key actors to facilitate common operational understanding and approaches, particularly in the field of humanitarian work (ensuring knowledge and respect for humanitarian principles) and provide executive guidance, leadership and support to WFP’s global programmes and operations.

Represent the Organization at leadership level and contribute to its global positioning;

Perform other related duties as requested.

Core requirements

The Organization is seeking an individual with:

Minimum of twenty years of experience in the field of humanitarian and development assistance with extensive and demonstrated experience in providing direction and leading large, multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams in large international organizations; Proven leadership and expertise in large-scale emergency response and humanitarian action;